


At Least I'm Not A Murderer

by JesusChristsuzIe



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, Because of Reasons, Blue Spirit Zuko (Avatar), F/M, POV Sokka (Avatar), Why Did I Write This?, Zuko (Avatar)-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:53:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24666430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JesusChristsuzIe/pseuds/JesusChristsuzIe
Summary: Katara doesn't like the way the Blue Spirit conducts his business
Relationships: Katara & Sokka (Avatar)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 439





	At Least I'm Not A Murderer

Sokka was not expecting to spend his night sitting in a bush and watching Zuko run around a town in some sort of costume, but here was.

He had to admit the guy was surprisingly agile.

They watched as he jumped up, grabbing the edge of a roof, _'how high can this guy jump?_ ', and use his momentum to flip himself onto the roof. He was barely out of breath.

"Holy shit," he heard Suki whisper next to him.

Zuko turned in the general direction of their bush, as if he could see them and the entire group held their breath, before he turned and ran after some invisible commotion.

The group followed, obviously, but slowly and at a safe distance. Sokka didn't want to get fire bended in the face by accident.

It wasn't too long before they could see what was happening. A young girl of about Katara's age was being attacked by a group of much older, much stronger men. There was about five of them. 

Sokka felt a bit sick, thinking of his own sister being attacked like that.

Zuko dropped down silently behind them, _'does this guy not weigh anything?'_

He unsheathed his swords, drawing them out slowly so they flashed in the moonlight.

Aang moved, like he meant to get up but Katara grabbed the back of his shirt, he looked back at her, confused.

"We have to help him Katara, it's one against five, that's not fair!"

"No, he decided to go alone, if he wanted help, he should have asked."

Aang looked like he was going to argue, before seeing the fierce look in Katara's eyes and deciding it was better to just remain silent.

Sokka didn't think he had ever seen someone move as fast as Zuko was now in his entire life.

Zuko had stabbed two of the men in the back, using his swords to jump up onto a third man's shoulders, _'seriously how high could this guy fucking jump?_ ', and wrapped his legs around his neck, tightening them until the guy was practically purple, passed out on the floor. All within the matter of about thirty seconds.

Sokka almost didn't want to watch, he was certainly more ... violent then they were, but he got the job done and it seemed like that was all that mattered to Zuko.

By now the two other men had seen him, turning their attention away from the girl, fireballs in hand.

Of course they were fire benders, because of course they were. 

Sokka waited for Zuko to throw down his swords and drop into his usual stance, but he never did. Swords in hand, he silently beckoned for them to attack, moving out of the way just in time.

This guy was fucking crazy, Sokka decided. Taking on two fucking fire benders with nothing but swords, when he _could_ fire bend was probably one of the stupidest things Zuko had ever done.

Sokka watched with anticipated horror as Zuko's hands twisted round using his swords to block any attack, ok Sokka seriously needed to learn how to do that.

Zuko ducked down beneath a fire ball, close to the floor and threw one of his swords forward, striking one of the men in the shin. He stopped for a moment, roaring in pain. That was all Zuko needed.

He rushed forward, dodging the other man's attacks, how? Sokka had no idea. Driving his sword straight into the man's chest, retrieving both of them as the man fell to the ground.

Zuko turned to the last man, who had stopped attacking by this point and was, effectively, shaking in his boots.

Zuko brought his sword to the man's throat as he trembled and begged for mercy, before swiftly kicking him right in the balls.

Sokka couldn't help but snort at that.

Zuko sheathed his swords, before turning his attention to the girl. He stood back, apparently waiting for her to approach him, trying to appear as non-threatening to her as possible.

She moved forward, quietly explaining that she was lost, she told Zuko where she lived, motioning in the general direction and asking for help.

Zuko turned his back to her, Sokka thought for a moment that he was going to walk away and just leave her to fend for herself in the night, before he bent down and held his hands out behind him. 

He was offering the her a _piggyback ride._

She jumped on, a little too enthusiastic in Sokka's opinion, but she did seem genuinely scared about being left on her own. Zuko tightened his hold on the girl's legs before taking off. Not quite running, but definitely not walking. 

The group followed, trying hard to keep up, using Toph whenever they lost sight of him.

Zuko stopped outside what Sokka could only assume was this girl's house, or at the very least where she was staying.

She jumped down from his back, thanking Zuko, before stepping forward and lifting his mask slightly. Zuko's whole body tensed, his back rigid, shoulders drawing up next to his ears. It didn't get better when the girl reached up, kissing the small sliver of his cheek that was exposed.

Zuko, after what seemed like forever, _'had this guy never kissed a girl before?',_ before turning around and running right into Katara.

_'When the fuck did she get over there?'_

And before long she was shouting. Because of course she was.

"What was that?"

"A ... kiss?" His voice was slightly muffled behind the mask.

Katara's entire face turned red, "I know what a kiss is! I meant what was that, back there!"

Sokka almost shouted out for Zuko to run. Almost. He knew when not to get involved in Katara's anger.

"I saved a girl."

Zuko said it so matter-of-factly, as if it were normal for someone to run around a village, at night, in a mask, stabbing people.

"You killed five people!"

"Four. I killed _four_ people. I rendered the fifth one infertile."

Sokka couldn't help the small laugh that escaped him.

"You shouldn't have killed any people!"

Sokka could tell Zuko was starting to get frustrated, his stance had shifted, it was more curled in on itself, defensive.

"Look, they're still there, you're welcome to go heal them if you like."

Katara didn't move.

"What? If it's so wrong that I killed them, why don't you go do your magic water thing and save their lives, since you care so damn much."

"Don't talk to me like that!"

"Don't tell me what to do! You're such a hypocrite!"

"I am not a hypocrite!"

"Then do it, go back there and save their disgusting, pitiful lives, make sure they live another day to kidnap another innocent girl and next time there won't be anyone there to do anything about it!"

Katara faltered. She stepped back a little, staring into the blank eyes of the mask.

"If they didn't deserve to die, then go make sure they live!"

Katara didn't move.

"You're a hypocrite."

Zuko walked away.

"At least I'm not a murderer."

Zuko stopped, he turned back to Katara, taking off his mask, looking her right in the eye.

Katara paled at his face, at his fury, his anger, his hurt.

"You think you've never killed anyone? You think you've never drowned anyone? You think people survive being blown off of buildings? Being lost at sea? Being thrown off an air ship? Being crushed by boulders?"

Toph whooped. Sokka peered over at the young girl, blanching at her excited face, _'Is she enjoying this? Of course she is, it's Toph. Don't ask stupid questions, Sokka.'_

"You think people survive being stabbed, being shot, being burned? You can act as high and mighty as you want, but the reality is you've killed just as many people as me. The only difference is, you're a dick about it."

Katara didn't move. 

Zuko simply put his mask back on and left. Where to? Sokka couldn't say, but he doubted Zuko would be going back to the house any time soon.

He thought about what Zuko said, he wanted to defend his sister, shout at him, tell him he was wrong, tell him to fuck off, that he could put those swords where sun didn't shine. But the truth was, Zuko was right. He had always known it and he had always ignored it.

Katara was being naive if she thought people survived everything they did to them. 

It didn't stop him from comforting her though. It didn't stop him from crouching down next to her, wrapping his arms around her and telling her the war forced people to do terrible things, that she wasn't a monster.

Because the truth was, she wasn't.

She was just a kid.

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly I kinda just wanted to have Zuko shout at Katara for all the shit she gives him in the air temple
> 
> I know this isn't as good as some of my other writing (that makes me sound so pretentious) but it was fun to wrote I hope you enjoyed it anyways


End file.
